The Cranky IT Band Week

I've been having a tremendous year so far.  Lots of PRs, Runner's HI, along with a slow and steady pace increase.  After Sunday's run up Santa Su, I was feeling invincible!  I headed out Wednesday morning to do my Stryd Critical Power test:

• Warm up - 10 minutes
• Maximum Distance Run  - 3 minutes at a consistent pace throughout the three-minute test, but to be nearly exhausted at the end of the test.
• Recovery - 30 minutes
• Maximum Distance Run - 9 minutes (same protocol as the 3 minute run)
• Cool down - 10 minutes

The purpose of the test is to determine my Critical Power.  I am working on a full post about power that I hope to have up next week.  But back to my test...

I warmed up for 10 minutes, but didn't really feel warmed up.  That's not unusual when I'm doing intervals, so I wasn't too concerned.  At the 10 minute mark, my watch went off, and I started running hard.  My watts shot up to 284.  Less than 30 seconds in, my right IT band started screaming!  Not just a little pain, but sharp pain from my hip to my knee.

I stopped running and tried to walk it out.  I restarted my watch, thinking I just needed more time to warm up.  I walked, ran, and walked some more.  Still pain.  After about 10 minutes I knew the test wasn't going to happen.  I went home really bummed.

El Nino hasn't really lived up to its name this year, but there is a little green on our hills.

This morning I got up and headed to our local trail for a run.  The same thing happened.  I had no pain walking, but after a minute or two of running the pain was back.  I walked and ran for about 1.5 miles and decided to turn around.

I really don't know why I'm having these pains.  The only thing I can tie it to is my run on Sunday.  I ran on the shoulder of the road for 8 miles so I may have caused some irritation then.  I plan to just ride my bike (and do lots of stretching/foam rolling) for a few days and keep my fingers crossed that this will go away.

It dawned on me that this year will mark 20 years since I started running.  There have been times of inconsistency, but I've run more often than not.  In those 20 years I have never had a long term injury.  That's right, zero long term injuries.  So I plan to baby this cranky IT band and keep that trend going!

That Time I PR'd the Tantalus Loop (Another Runner's HI Run)

Since I started running on Oahu in 2013, my favorite loop is the 10 mile loop up and down Tantalus.  I've blogged about it plenty, but here is the elevation profile from Saturday:

10 miles.  First 5 with 1,654' elevation gained, second 5 with 1,437' elevation lost.  It was a rare completely dry and clear morning on the mountain.  I started out early and even saw stars!  There was more traffic than usual.  I didn't know it at the the time, but the HURT 100 trail race was going on.

I stuck to the road

My pace for the first 5 miles was 13:47.  My pace for the second 5 miles was 8:29.  The key in hitting a PR for this run is mile 6.  It's the first mile that finally starts going down, but then it kicks back up!  I don't know if I've ever run that entire mile before - it seems like when I get to the reversal my legs just refuse to run up anymore.  Not Saturday!  I kept turning 'em and hit that mile in 8:59.  I was feeling really good and kept right on pushing.

During mile 9 I saw a runner up ahead.  I couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman they were so far ahead of me.  I slowly caught them, and saw it was a young woman (late 20s, early 30s, I'd guess.)  I caught her, passed her, and never looked back!  That's a rare occurrence, so I savored it a bit!

After uploading my file to Strava, I saw that I was 9th overall on the entire loop (a new PR), plus 9th overall on the descent (another PR!)  I PRd the climb but am only 14th overall on it.  Les commented about it, and I agree, I am still reaping the benefits from my last marathon.  I didn't go through weeks of burn out or muscle soreness, I will say it again - cross training works!

Taking My Stryd for a Test Run

I received my Stryd power meter in the mail yesterday so of course I took it out for a run this morning!  I could not get a heart rate the entire run, which was annoying and distracting, but other than that it was an interesting run.

After several days of rain, this morning it was clear, cool and windy.  I headed out to one of my normal loops that has a pretty tough climb and a nice downhill.  I really didn't know what to look for or expect.  Here are my mile breakdowns:

Mile 1 - 10:29 pace/ +73' / -39' / 180 Ave Power / 244 Max Power
Mile 2 - 11:33 pace/ +128' / 184 Ave Power / 356 Max Power
Mile 3 - 10:57 pace/ +92' / -23' / 186 Ave Power / 254 Max Power
Mile 4 -  8:52 pace/ +10' / -171' / 196 Ave Power / 263 Max Power
Mile 5 -  9:03 pace/ +20' / -120' / 203 Ave Power / 242 Max Power

The most significant point - my biggest power spike was during the mile with the most climbing even though that mile was my slowest.  It's also interesting to note that my downhill miles still had high power output.  That doesn't happen in cycling - downhill = coasting in cycling.

Total
5.02 miles in 51:11, 10:12 pace
348' elevation gain
377' elevation loss
190 watts Average Power
356 watts Max Power

We did figure out why I wasn't getting HR data.  I just needed to update the software.  A quick and easy fix, so my next run will include HR data.

So what does all this mean?  I really have no idea! I'm posting it today so a few weeks from now, when things do make sense, I can come back and look at these numbers again.

I'm sure as I gather more data this will start to make sense.  I knew I was working hard, and without any heart rate data, the power data was able to confirm that.  The goal is to learn what I am able to sustain for a long period, slowly working to make that number higher so I can run faster without burning out before the end of a race.

I'm pretty sure for the next month or so Les is going to be having way more fun with this than I am!  He was thrilled to have these numbers to look at and kept saying things like, "Your 10 second power was..."  "your 5 minute power was..."

2016 ~ The Year of Power

I had been coming up blank as far as running goals for this year.  They were sounding like a repeat of last year.  Since 2015 was such a good year, that's not a completely bad idea, but I wanted more.  More is now on its way in the form of a belated Christmas present called Stryd.  What is Stryd, you ask?  Stryd is the world's first power meter for running.

What is a power meter?  Cyclists have used power meters for years to measure their output.  Yes, they look at speed (instead of pace) and heart rate, but power shows exactly how much energy they are using no matter the conditions (hilly, windy, drafting, etc.)  Les started using a power meter in 2013 and has seen significant increase in his overall abilities.  He likes to go out and do intervals on his bike, watching his watts (power.)  He has a number that he knows he can pretty much sustain for long periods on the bike.  When he's on an endurance event (100+ miles) he knows that if he pushes his power number way above the magic threshold, he's going to blow up and his speed will drop significantly.  On the other hand, he knows when he's taking it easier than he needs to and can pick up the pace if he wants.

Until now, there hasn't been the technology to measure this for runners. From Stryd's website:

Power is the only number you need to pace yourself to a new PR at any distance.
Power is consistent and reliable. It doesn’t vary with conditions. Hilly course? No problem, Stryd has you covered.
Power is a better measurement of performance. And better measurement leads to better results.

The Stryd design is a chest strap. I've been wearing a heart rate monitor for more than a decade, so this will not be an added piece of equipment, it will replace the heart rate monitor I currently wear.  It will still give heart rate information, but will also include power.  It pairs with many sport watches on the market, including my Suunto Ambit2. There is a very informative article on Ultra Runner Podcast.com. I thought what it had to say about power vs. heart rate was very helpful:

So why a power meter instead of heart rate? 
After using a heart rate monitor for almost every run, race, or workout I have done for the last year, heart rate is a nice tool, and that is it. Don’t get me wrong, I still use a heart rate monitor but I do not trust it to be consistent. Your heart rate is influenced by temperature, humidity, altitude, stress, illnesses, fatigue etc. It is usually the same day after day, but not always. As you first start running with a HRM it takes about 10 or so minutes for most monitors to be accurate. If you had a bad night’s sleep or you are coming down with a cold your heart rate could be as high as 10 to 15 beats per minute higher than the week before. Pacing yourself at a race or a workout will leave you running slower than your legs can actually allow. The other downfall of using heart rate for intervals is that your heart rate is too slow to react to your effort, which will leave you unsure if you are giving enough effort. After multiple intervals your heart rate will also start to get higher after each interval, called cardiac drift.

A power meter will not be effected by any of these situations. It gives instant feedback. It does not change when you get tired or have not warmed up yet. This is the reason they are so popular in the cycling world, and will soon be popular in the running world.

I realize this is more than most of us really want to study and understand, but I have my own personal power meter coach!  Do I see the value?  I'm sure I won't fully appreciate it until I've used Stryd for a few months, but I was already thinking about how it will impact my training.  For instance, I ran 10 miles on Saturday and it was very windy (15+ mph.)  I ran every step and my average pace was 10:35.  I knew I was pushing and there were times when I saw my pace slow, but did that mean I was putting out less effort or were the conditions making me actually work harder?  Hopefully, knowing the answer to that question will make training better, turning me into a better runner!

It's now been shipped and I am expecting it to arrive on Thursday. I'll be blogging about it as I learn.